Friday, May 27, 2005

So you want to know what’s in my purse, what my refrigerator looks like, and what religious icons I have? Here you go, voyeur.

Shout out to Kristine who originates the Stuff Portraits every Friday. I kinda like doing these photo assignments! They’re so voyeuristic, aren’t they?

The Inside of My Purse There it is in all of its glory. Wallet, sunglasses, airborne and make-up bag. There’s a lot of crap underneath that stuff. Key to not lugging around a bag full of crap: keep it small. My favorite bag brand is matt & nat hands down.

My Refrigerator—Inside Not too exciting. I love my Toby’s Tofu Pate.

My Refrigerator—Outside Yawn.

But my favorite magnet on the outside of the refrigerator:

Religious Icons I can’t find my Virgin of Guadalupe. This will have to do. Excuse me while I go light a candle in hopes of winning this weeks Mega Bucks.

Thursday, May 26, 2005

Well, I can see it, and for the past several days, the ferris wheel has been going up. Here's a photo from this spring's most amazing day of heat, clear sky, and absolute beauty. The ferris wheel will next have the cars put on it, and will soon begin to spin notoriously close to the Morrison Bridge. It may, or may not, be accompanied by screams. And yes, I can hear the screams all the way to where this photo was taken. Since we're AT WAR, I don't think very many navy guys will innundate downtown with their crisp white uniforms and drunken adventures, but I'll put $10 down that the gals seeking those guys, wearing their hot pink tube tops and super high heels, with or without fringed suede jackets, will still come on down for fun and frolic at the Pepsi Fun Center, also known as carni central at waterfront park. Aaahhhh.....the Portland Rose Festival is almost here!

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

She’s my Senator in Oregon. Unfortunately, Margaret was busy and unable to come to the phone. But a very nice and helpful gentleman took my information—that I was a constituent of Senator Carters calling to inquire of her support for SB 1000—and my asking for her support of SB 1000 in its entirety. Entirety, meaning, not splitting up civil unions from non-discrimination, for Oregon’s gay community. Prohibiting discrimination against gay and lesbian Oregonians is just as important as providing same-sex couples and their families with legal recognition and protection. Unfortunately, in the past week, religious zealots (the far right) have been bombarding Oregon lawmakers, and I wanted to counter that with a voice of reason. The cool thing is that it’s really easy to figure out who to call by going HERE.

For more information about SB 1000 and the current status for how to not get fired if you’re gay or be denied housing or to ensure you can visit your partner if they’re in the hospital….go here.

Okay, so I don't know crap about some country band, Rascal Flatts. But I do know I'll come out of the blog closet right here and right now and say, I watch American Idol. I love that god damn show. And tomorrow night, Carrie Underwood will sing with some band named Rascall Flatts (it doesn't sound that different from Rotten Squirrel, does it?) and Bo Bice (yes, Falconer/Drew/Farrow crew, your boi!) will sing with Lynryd Skynrd. While Ja'AmLo may say this is the worst American Idol, I'd say, you don't know JACK because you don't watch it. And finally, I still love Constantine!!!!!!!!

Friday, May 20, 2005

Several sleepless nights and about a grand later, Picasso is back on the doublewide (it’s really called the doublewide), goin’ to town and makin’ sweet love to our shoes. X-rays, blood work all inconclusive. Maybe pancreas issues. But unknown. I just hope to never see it return again. Never. Ever. Never.

Thursday, May 19, 2005

Poor Picasso is having a tough time. With the fluid cathater still taped to her paw, and the tiara to keep her from chewing the thing out, it's hard to tell if she's doing any better. She's home with us for the evening, but goes back tomorrow morning. All tests are looking inconclusive, but she's still lethargic (or does she just hate this crap she's got to wear?), but not near as bad as last night. Can I just saw how much I love North Portland Veterinary Hospital and the amazing Dr. Dillon? Love. Her. Thanks for all of your thoughts, prayers and love...here's to hoping tomorrow is a better day for my sweet gardening kitty.

Sad looking dogs, a love bird that was quiet and still, and a lot of nervous and bloodshot eyes on the humans. Sigh. Spent 3 hours waiting in the packed emergency room at Dove Lewis tonight with sweet, sick Picasso. Came home to find her hiding in the corner, not moving, and not coming when I called her. Knew something was wrong. She didn't recognize me. I'm really scared, and sad. She's staying the night and getting blood work and x-rays: something is wrong with her stomach because she hisses when you touch or squeeze it.

Picasso came to live with me right out of college when I was still living in Chico. She was the last of a litter of kitties at the pound, and she talked to me from the very beginning. Yes, she's a talker. I talk, she talks back. She talks, I say, "You don't say?" We have great conversations. She works with me in the garden, and goes everywhere I go around the house. At night, she demands her own pillow. She's my buddy, and has been for 13 years.

Sunday, May 15, 2005

(also recommended for ladies and teetotalers)Did you ever hear of a diet which was fun to follow?

A diet which would let you have two martinis before lunch, and a thick steak generously spread with Sauce Bearnaise, so that you could make your sale in a relaxed atmosphere and go back to the office without worrying about having gained so much as an ounce?

A diet which allows you to take out your favorite girl for a dinner of squab and broccoli with hollandaise sauce and Chateau Lafitte, to be followed by an evening of rapture and champagne?

You may find it hard to believe, because we have all been conditioned to think of dieting as a form of self-torture, to punish ourselves for our indulgences.

Nevertheless, there is such a diet, and this little book will you what it is.

What the diet is This really is a very simple diet. It can be summed up in one sentence: Eat less than sixty grams of carbohydrate a day. That’s all there is to it. So what’s a carbohydrate? Mostly, as you will learn in this book, carbohydrates are concentrated in starches and sugars. They are almost absent from “man-type” foods like meat, fish, cheese and salad…The grisly alternative To emphasize just how agreeable a low-carbohydrate diet can be, just consider the discomforts of its only alternative, the low-calorie diet.

You all know the standard meals touted in the ordinary diet books:2 tablespoons of cottage cheese with defatted French dressing1/2 lb. of vegetableburger (a dry, scratchy mass of grated carrots, soybeans, daisy petals, etc.)1 glass skim milk1 piece of dry toastblack coffeeYou are having the most beautiful woman in the world over to dinner. Imagine sitting down with her to a dinner like that! “Do you think you can afford a quarter cup of rhubarb juice darling?” “No dear, I was so starved this afternoon, I cheated and ate two whole stalks of celery. I'll have to take it easy now." Romance does not fly very far on such wings.

Luncheon Dry martini or whiskey with water or sodaBroiled fish or steak or roast chicken2 glasses dry wineGreen beans or asparagusLettuce & tomato salad with French or Roquefort dressingCoffee or tea (with cream)

If you noticed there was a bit of booze in this diet, you’d be right. Here’s what they say about that.… You can drink as much as you think is good for you. There is ample medical testimony to show that ingestion of fats slows down the rate of absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream. Remember how the Russians were said to keep sober at international conferences by swallowing olive oil before the vodka. On our diet, you can keep up with the Russians or any one else. So don’t believe this wonderful diet? Here is a testimonial for you…Paula P., woman-about-town: “Frankly, I like my cocktail. But I don’t like to go sashaying around with rolls of fat pushing their way around the shoulder straps of my evening dresses. In the old days I used to starve myself, literally, and go to a doctor for shots that would give me enough energy to keep going. Then my face would get haggard and frighten children. Now with the Drinking Man’s Diet (and why not the Drinking Woman’s?) I can eat three solid meals a day.. And I don’t wear a girdle any more.”

So there you have it. A predecessor to the Atkins Diet, but with a whole lotta booze thrown in!

Okay. How cool is it that there’s a samba band of little kids?! But the fact that Mr. Crotchety Old Man has a bee in his bonnet about their several practices outside—actually a whopping 10 hours total spread out over several weeks—is pitiful. Over the past 2 weeks or so, the city has listened and worked with Mr. Crotchety Old Man for seven or eight hours. They’ve made the band apply for a noise variance. But Mr. Crotchety Old Man is still making a stink.

If Mr. Crotchety Old Man gets his way, and silences the samba bad, I offer this sad visual to think about. This weekend’s St. Johns parade had a few members from Roosevelt’s former marching band, carrying signs reading things like ”RIP: budget cuts RHS band”. Come on. Give the kids a break. Enjoy their music and let them experience a little bit of joy in the wonder of music in the schools. Not everybody gets to hear that music anymore…and it’s samba for chrissakes! Read the story in The Oregonian.

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

It wouldn't be the St. Johns parade without the Royal Rosarians, the local women's grange, the St. Johns Bachelor Club, or the Shriners. SHRINERS KICK ASS. I don't want to know their by-laws, I just know I love 'em. Shriners on a float

Saturday, May 07, 2005

Here’s a whole new field of cooking…inexpensive creative cooking that will win you an enviable reputation for the unusual and delicious! Here are healthy one-dish meals for the family…and distinctive recipes for company brunches, party luncheons and festive suppers! Your family will boast about the meals you create with toast…and you’ll be thrilled with their ease and economy of preparation! Toast recipes turn leftovers into company fare…and stretch a little bit of food a long way! You’ll always be able to whip up tasty meals in minutes for unexpected guests if you keep modern packaged bread, and a basic pantry-shelf stock of canned goods, on hand! And if the man in your house is an amateur chef, he’ll adopt many of these recipes as his own chafing dish specialties!

And no, I did not insert any of my own exclamation marks or italics into that whammy of an opening. Copyright 1950 Marathon Corporation

Yes, a cookbook for toast. From Portland’s very own Franz Bread. Let’s take a journey together, through the glory of cooking with toast.

Toast points, or triangles, are often preferred to whole slices of toast for creamed dishes, rabbits and other specialties served on toast. To make, first remove crusts from bread slices. Then cut bread diagonally in both directions to make 4 triangles, as shown in sketch. (thank god for the sketch) Toast in broiler as described above. Butter if desired.

Thursday, May 05, 2005

This is the Bern Café. It went out of business as a private venture several years ago. The people of Bern couldn’t imagine living in Bern without their café. So they made it into a co-op. Today, it’s managed and run by the people of Bern. It’s a set menu, but the café is still a place for people to meet, eat, and catch-up. I love places like this.

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Is it just me, or does Charles Starr, who is currently testifying against SB 1000, sound like he's drunk off his ass, dumb as a stick, and about a thousand years old? His election web site uses the slogan "One of Us, Working for Us!" I guess that's only if you're just like him: straight, not too bright, and definitely not a good public speaker. No thanks, Charles Starr.

From tonight's hearing on SB 1000 in Oregon's legislature, here is some paraphrasing from the very heartfelt and sincere testimony in favor of SB 1000 from Senator Morse: "Where we begin this journey will determine where we end our journey.....My conviction to step forward stems from a Christian belief that we are called to act and to love.....Love is not passive...it’s inclusive...it’s listening, then understanding...love brings purpose to our lives...How should I reach out and love to those with a sexual orientation than mine? Is there a place for love in our public policy? I believe there is...It’s time to accept, and it’s time act...It’s time to accept all persons, and treat them with respect, and love." Thank you, Senator Morse.

Tonight Mary Oberst opened the hearings on SB 1000, protecting Oregon's gay and lesbians from discrimination, and providing for civil unions. I've never heard her speak, and I was moved and so happy to hear her voice. "You can’t make laws that specify who you can love....and I don’t think it’s a great leap for this legislature to pass bill 1000…..it’s not only practical, it’s forward thinking, and it’s wise." Thanks, Mary.

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

...or Hummingbirds. Can I just say how cool hummingbirds are? We've been planting for them for 7 years, and this year, there are 3+ of them that are making their home in El Jardin. Hummingbirds are such cool birds: they seem sweet and demure and delicate, but at this very second, at dusk, they are right outside the window going full mortal combat on each other, buzzing and fighting over the feeder. They are WAY territorial.Okay. Just had to share. Amen.

Sunday, May 01, 2005

..but what exactly is it? Mental illness? ...There's this property on North Lombard in St. Johns that has slowly been undergoing a transformation. This is a section of Lombard that has both residential houses, and businesses.

A few years ago, there was a house here. And then the house was gone. And then weird junk started appearing, including a huge satellite dish, collecting rain water. And then there was an old ice cream truck parked on the property. And then a fence went up, apparently handmade from split logs. And all of a sudden, this huge, old, battleship grey double-wide trailer appeared.

This is on a main street, THE main street out here on the peninsula.

The car parked in front on the street, is so full of stuff, I don't know how the driver can see. And it tows more stuff. (I'm wondering if I'm going to hear on the news someday of how they found 100 cats living in there)

There are businesses on either side of this property. How does something like this happen? Isn't it chock-o-full of zoning violations?